There’s no business like show business —just ask students in Central Valley Christian’s production of “Annie Get Your Gun.”

The musical — famous for the bubbly Irving Berlin tune, “There’s No Business Like Show Business” — is a celebration of vaudeville and traveling side shows and an unabashed, old-fashioned love story. It opens April 3 and runs through April 5 at the CVC Theater.

Besides “There’s No Business Like Show Business,” the score also features some of Irving Berlin’s most beloved songs — including: “You Can’t Get A Man With A Gun;” “Doin’ What Comes Naturally;” “Anything You Can Do;” “The Girl That I Marry;” and “The Sun In the Morning & the Moon at Night.”

“Annie Get Your Gun” is the fictionalized story of Annie Oakley (Danielle Cardenas), one of the world’s most famous sharpshooters. Written by Irving Berlin and Herbert and Dorothy Fields, the 1946 musical celebrates her stormy, competitive relationship with Frank Butler (Alexander Prins), a dashing vaudeville marksman, as they tour the country as the stars of “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show.”

When Annie and Butler first meet, Butler finds his position as champion challenged by this young, backward girl whose shooting prowess is incredible.

In a contest with Butler conceived as a publicity stunt for his act, Annie turns the tables on the star: She beats him and, at the same time, falls hopelessly in love with him.

In order to be near him, Annie accepts a job as Frank’s assistant in the Wild West Show. Frank recognizes her talent and, in short, gives her a small spot in the show.

(The real Annie Oakley died in Dayton, Ohio in 1926. Her long-time husband, Frank Butler, died 18 days later.)

The key to the musical is the chemistry between Annie and Frank. Cardenas and Prins have known each other since grammar school, so that chemistry developed naturally on stage.

“We kind of bicker in real life like Frank and Annie do,” Cardenas said. “It definitely helps that we’ve known each other for so long.”

So how does Cardenas feel about playing such an iconic character in the canon of American musical theater? Such legendary talents as Ethel Merman, Debbie Reynolds, Bernadette Peters, Reba McEntire and Jane Horrocks have played the famous character over the years.

“I really have tried not to watch any other performances of the show because I didn’t want that to influence my performance,” she said. “But it’s definitely intimidating to think people may stack up your performance to all those other actresses.”

For Prins, getting cast as Butler was a bit of type casting, he said. He lives in the country and is a pretty good shot — though not nearly as good as the real-life Butler, he said.

“When people found out I was cast as a cowboy, they laughed and said that was the perfect part for me,” he said.

While Prins is a good shot, Cardenas will definitely have to act when playing the sharpshooter Annie Oakley. She’s never fired a gun, she said.

“We’re definitely going to take her shooting when the play is over,” Prins said.

So why should people come out to see the show when it opens in early April?

“It’s a lot of fun and it’s a classic,” said Austin Bons, who plays Buffalo Bill, the famous impresario and wild west showman. “Everyone should come out and see it.”